Jesse c



J. C'. KING.

MEANS FOR MEASUHING TE-ETH.

4,111L1c1111o11 111511 fis. 1. 1919.

1,323,697. Patented 1161121919.

JESsE c. KING, oEEA JUNTArcoLoEADo.

MEANS Eon MEASRING TEETH,

renacer..

ToaZZ whom Muay/concern:

Be it known that l, Jnssn C. Kinda citi- Zen ofthe United States, residingY at La Junta, in the county of Otero and State-of Colorado, have invented, certa-in new and useful Improvements in Means for Measuring Teeth, of which the following is aV Specification, reference being had to the accompanying" drawings.

rlhis invention relates to ameans for determining the widths of teeth required'for an individual patient for proper restoration by artificial dentures, and it is `an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved means whereby such widths may be deter mined by facial characteristics of the individual patient and particularly Vwhen the instrument provided with measurement graduations extending' along the lip line.

The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

In order that my invention may be the f better understood, I` will now proceed to de.-V

scribe the same with' referenceto the accompanyingV drawings, wherein: Figure l is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method for measuring teeth in accordance withV my present invention;

' Fig. 2 is a'view in front elevation ofthe measuring instrument or gage as herein embodied, the parts thereof which would show through the body or sheet being omittedfor clarity of disclosure; y

Fig.-3 is a `view in top` plan of the measuring instrument or gageas illustrated in Fig. 2;,a11d

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through #the measuring `instrument f or igage'withcertain of the parts in elevation.r

As disclosed in the accompanying 'drawings7 l denotesV an elongated body comprising a sheet of transparent material and of a Uformfto.n closely contact with the Amental l Sp'eirisation o f Lettersratent. Application led February` 1, 1919.

PatentedDec. 2, 1919. ASerialrNo. 274,552.

tubercles or chin of a patient, and of a length to overlie the symphysis and to extended above the lip line or mouth. Disposed longitudinally of the body or sheet l atsubstantially its transverse center is a line 2 suitably produced thereon and the upper end portion of said body or sheet is also .provided with a transversely disposed line 3 .at right angles to the line 2. The line 3 is also producedrupon the body orsheet l in any de- Sired manner. The line 3 has coactingtherewith the measuring graduations 4 extending on opposite sides ofthe line 2, and which measuring graduations aiiordmeans where# by tl e widths of the teeth, and more particularly the permanent incisors at their incisa] edge may be determined.

Extending rearwardly fromthebody or sheet 1 below the line 8 and at opposite sides of the line 2 are the posts. 5 provided with the enlargements or stops 6. A pair of plates 7 connecting the posts V5 are slidably engaged therewith, and said plates 7 are constantly urged toward the stops or enlarge-V ments 6 through the medium of the expansible members 8 interposedbetween the body or sheet l and the inner plate 7. As herein disclosed-each of the expansible members 8 comprises a coil spring encircling a post 5.

9V denotes a flat shank slidably disposed between the plates 7 so that said Shank 9 and the body or sheet l may be readily. adjusted one relative 'to the othell in adirection longi-` tudinally of the shank 9 and longitudinally of the body or sheet l. The shank 9 is also ofa width `less than the distance between the posts 5 so that a relative lateral or transverse adjustment ofthe shank 9 and the body or Sheet l maybe obtained,

- The upper end portion'of the. shank 9 is .provided Ywith an extension 10 disposed perpendicular to the shank 9 and in a direction away from the inner face of the body or sheet'l and which extension 10 serves as a penetrating member and is adapted to be inserted within -a wax model of the teeth when taking the bite l The lower portion of the bodyforsheet l atopposite sides ofthe lineQ 'is provided Ywith the longitudinally disposed slots.' 11 arranged in parallelism, vand through which arewdirected the headed retainers. l2 arranged atthe opposite end,,portions,of the slide 14. The slide lll preferably comprises a substantially rectangular .sheet of *transparent material with4 its longitudinal axis with the lip i will beat'once self evident that the width x vsecured thereto through symphysis disposed transversely of the body or sheet 1. Atsubstantially its center and at a point coincident with the line 2, the slide 14 has the medium of a lug 15 or the like, an end portion of an elongated flexible member 16, preferably string, and which member is of a length to extend from a point on symphysis between the .mental tubercles of a patient to the glabella or to the outer external or posterior Vcanthus of Aan eye.

In operation, the extension or penetrating member 10 is placed in the wax model of the teeth when taking the bite or when the model is held `inthe mouth of a person being operated on, and the body or sheet 1 is adjusted until the line 2 is positioned on the vertical median line of the face or the line fromglabella and extending through the anterior nasal spine to a point on symphysis between the mental y.

tubercles, and said body or member 1 is also adjusted to position the line 3 coincident :line or, in other words, atthe the line of teeth for the line approximating teeth. The

mouth at the incisal edges of the slide 14C is then adjusted to bring the central portion thereof or the portion to which the member 16 is attached to the point on between the mental tubercles be` found by a slight depression between the mental tubercles. llhe flexible member 16 is then directed in .a taut condition to the external or posterior canthus of an eye, and the space between the point which may on the line 3 crossed by the member 16 and.

the line 2 taken along the line 3 will indicate the width of two teeth, namely, a central incisor and the adjacent lateral incisor. In other words, the point on the line 3 where the member 16 crosses is the outer corner f a lateral tooth at its end known as the lowest point on the tooth. In View of this, it

of these teeth will be causedto correspond with the presumed natural characteristics of the face andwhich is materially determined by the widthof the forehead 'of the patient,

1 asthe distance between the external or pos-l terior canthuses of the eyes will be in accordance with thewidth of the forehead. Y It is to be understood thatV the various adjustl ments of the :plate 1 and the members carried thereby are effected while the device is held against the face of the patient.

All points of expression of faces swing from the mental .point taken for the basis of measurement, namely, the chin on the center Vlinebetween thetubercles and all main points..

are within the angle or triangle formed by a line drawn frointhe chin through the inner edge of the external or posterior canthus and a line drawn across lthe forehead through the'glabella to the other side ofthe face and again back to the chin point. In other words, the face is an equilateral tri- ,of each eye, or in other words,

The centeror median line includes the glabella, anterior nasal spine and lthe rmental five points.

point` with the glabella common to the line on the forehead drawn from the junctions of ymalar bone and frontal boneat ea'ch side of the face Vabove exterior canthuses of eyes.

In practice, the canthus isV taken as aV flesh point, as the bony point cannot be found with any degree of certainty, but is known as the junction of the malar bone w with the frontal bone, but since the canthus corresponds to the same and is Von a line that runs from the junction of the malar bone and frontal bone tothe chin, it answers the case.

I claim: A

1. A gage for measuring teeth including a Vtransparent body, means'for supporting said body in a position to overliethe junctionof the lip line of a face and a median line on the face extending from the glabella through the anterior nasal spine to a point on the symphysis of the mental tubercles, and a -iiexible member carried by the body and adapted to be disposed substantially in a straight line from the point Von the symphysis between the mental tubercles to theV posterior canthus of an eye.

2. A gage for measuring teethfincluding a body, means for supporting'said body in a position to' overlie the junction Vof the lip line of a face and a median line on the face extending from the glabella through the an-V terior nasal spine to a point on symphysis between the mental tubereles, and a flexible member carried by the body and adapted to be disposed substantially in a straight line from the point on symphysis between the mental tubercles to the Vposterior 'canthus of Y l between the mental tubercles, and ailexible member carried by the body Aand adapted to be disposed substantially in a straight line from the point on the symphysis between the mental tubercles to the posterior canthus of an eye, said'body being provided ,with means to identify-the lip' line and the median face line,- the means defining the lip line having coacting therewith Vmeasuring graduations. Y

4. A gage j for measuring teeth comprising a body, means earried'by the body for engagement with the plastic material of a dental modehwvhile the nmodel is held in vthe mouth of a person, a slide carried by the body, and a flexible meinberengaged at one end to the slide.

5. A gage for measuring teeth comprising a body, means carried by the body for engagement with the plasticmaterial of a dental modehwhile the model is` held in the mouth of a person, a slide carried by the body, and a flexible member engaged at one end Vto the slide, said body being provided With a line to be arranged coincident with the median line of a face extending from the glabella through the anterior nasal spine to apoint on symphysis between the mental tubercles when the gage is in applied position.

6. A gage for measuring teeth comprising a body, means carried by the body for engagement With the plastic-material of a dental model, While the model-'is held in the mouth of a person, a slide carried by the body, and a flexible member engaged at one end to the slide, said body being provided lwith a line to bearranged coincident to the lip .line of a face when the gage is in applied position. j ,n

. 7. A gage for measuring teeth comprising a "body, means carried by the body for enga gement with the plastic material of a dental model, While the model is held in the mouth of a person, a slide carried by the body, and a iiexible member engaged at one end to the slide, said body being provided With 'a line to be arranged lip line of a face when the gage is in applied position, and measuring graduations coacting With said line.

8. A gage for measuring teeth comprising a body, a shank adjustably engaged With the body, said body and shank being adjustable coincident to the one relative to the other longitudinally of the shank, means carried by the shank for engagement Within the plastic material of a model, While the model is held in the mouth of a person, and an elongated member secured to the body for coaction with an onteicanthusof an eye.

9. A gage for measuring teeth comprising a body, a shank adjustably engaged Vwith the body, said body and shank being adjustable one relative to the other transversely oit the shank, means carried by the shank for engagement Within the plastic material of a model, While the model is held in the mouth of a person, and an elongatedY member secured to the body for coaction with an outer canthus of an eye.

10. A gage of the class described for measuring teeth comprising a body, posts extending beyond a face of said body, plates connecting said posts and loosely mounted thereon, means for constantly urging one of the plates toward the other, and a supporting member slidably disposed between the plates.

11. A gage of the class described for measuring teeth, comprising a body, a post extending upon a face of said body, plates connecting said posts, said plates being supported for movement oneV relative to the other in a direction longitudinally of the posts, means for constantly urging one of said plates toward the other, and a supporting member slidably disposed between the plates.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my Witnesses:

J. M. TnTER, L. E. WHISLER. 

